Junction-box.



G. W. DAVIS.

J UN GTION BOX.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.15, 190s.

Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR G. W. DAVIS.

JUNCTION BOX.

APPLICATION FILED 0M. 15, 1908.

916,537, Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Flll4.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR CHARLES W. DAVIS, OF EDGEWORTH, PENNSYLVANIA.

JUNCTION-BOX;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed October 15, 1908. Serial No. 457,932.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES W. Davis, residing at Edgeworth, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented or discovered a certain new and useful Improvementin Junction-Boxes, of whichimprovement the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to certain improvements injunction boxes for manholes, and has for its object a oonstruce tionpermitting of the addition from time to time of additional members orelements as required by service without disturbing the elementsormembers and cable connections ori inally installed.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

-In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificationFigure 1 shows partly in front elevation and partly in section twomembers or elements of my improved junction box; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of a box or member, the cap or end plate being removed; Fig. 3is a front elevation of the up er portion of ajunction box shoeing an adition whereby cables at an angle to each other may be connected; Fig. 4is a sectional elevation on a plane indicated by the line IV-IV Fig. 3;and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on an enlarged scale showing thepreferred manner of connecting the cable to the junction box.

My 1m roved junction box consists of a main shel or case 1 preferablyrectangular in shape, and a to portion 2 in which connection is madeiietween the cables such top portion being preferably circular drumlikein shape.

The front wall 3 or a portion thereof is made removable to permit accessto the interior of the box for making the several connections ashereinafter described. The drum portion 2 is also open at one or both ofits ends but provision is made for closing these ends as hereinafterdescribed. Openings are made in the lower end of the box for theinsertion of the ends of cables, as shown in Fig. 1. attached to theshell or case 1 in any convenient manner but referably by the means sownin Figs. 1 an 5 the sheath 0 is removed for a suitable distance and alsothe insulation leaving a portion of the conductor bare. A metallicsocket 4 provided with a lip 5 is fitted over the bared end of the conThe sheaths of the cables may be ductor c and preferably sweatedthereto. Before attaching the socket to the conductor a sleeve 6 ofinsulating material and a supporting sleeve 7 formed of metal are sli)ped onto the cable. The sleeve 6 is ma e of sufficient length to extenddown and cover a portion at least of the insulation 1) from which thesheath has been removed, and is provided with a shoulder 8 adapted torest on an internal shoulder 9 of the supporting sleeve 7. This sleeve 7is externally threaded for the reception of the clamping nuts 10 wherebythe sleeve is securely held in position relative to the case or shell.In order to connect the supporting sleeve to the observed that by meansof the nuts the sleeve 7 supporting the cable can be adjusted withreference to the bus bars to which the' cable conductor is connected byfuses, the latter being usually of standard lengths.

After the cable has been connected to the case or shell, the conductor 0is connected by a fuse 13 of any suitable construction to a bus-bar 14.1In the construction shown one end of the fuse is bolted to the lip 5 onthe socket 4 which as stated is electrically attached to the conductor 0and the opposite end of the fuse is bolteC to a metallic clip 15provided with a slip sleeve ada ted to be tightly clamped around thebusar.

The feeder cable A extends into one box and the distributing cables Binto a similar adjoining box, one of the feeder and one of thedistributing cables being connected to one bus-bar, and the other cablesto the other bus-bar. Asshown in Figs. 1 and 2 these bus-bars arearranged within the drum portion 2 of the junction box and extend fromone.,.unit of the box into the next or as man units as are-employed. Thebusbar may e supported within the portion 2 in any suitable manner. Asfor example the ends ofthebus-bars project into seats formed in disks 16of insulating material, preferably porcelain, said disks fitting intothe open ends of the portion 2 of the box and bearing against suitablestops 17. The disks are held in place by caps 18 closing the ends of theportions 2 and held in place by nuts 19 screwing onto rods 20 WlllCh mayextend through the entire series of units forming the junction box. tohold the caps in place and also to bind the several units together. Theends of the portions 2 are so finished that a tight joint will be formedbetween adjoining members and the caps will tightly seat when the partsare drawn together by the nuts 19 and 20. Additional protection isafforded by screwing ca nuts 21 on the projecting ends of the rods 20said cap nuts surrounding the clamping nuts 19 as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be readily understood that additional cables, either feeder ordistributing, ma be inserted b removing the cap at one end of theseries, lbosening the clips 15 and drawing out the rods 20, and bus-bars14.

One or more units of the box are then placed alongside of those alreadyin position, and longer bus-bars and clamping rods or bars and rods hasections added thereto, passed through t e portions 2 of the originaland added units, the bus bars passing through the clips. The additionalcables are connected up in the manner described, into the added boxes,the caps placed in osition and the units and caps clampe( together bytightening up the nuts 19.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a construction whereby feeder and distributingcables may be connected in one unit or additional feeder or distributingcables may be added to the system. An extension 22 is formed on theportion 2 of a unit or single box, and a trough is formed in thisextension by a partition 23 preferably detachably secured in positionand preferably formed of insulating material. Openings are formed in theend walls of the trough for the insertion of the bared conductor of thecable 0. The openin in the end walls of the trough are threade for thereception of the threaded sleeve 7 One end of the thimble 26 is securedto this sleeve as shown in Fig. 5, and the o posite end of the thimbleis contracted an secured by a wiped solder joint to the sheath of thecable C. The bared ends of the conductors are connected to the busbarsby means of double slips 27, so constructed that one end may be securedas described to a fuse 13 having two split sleeve portions 28 and 29,

These rods serve I tion havmg an o emng at one end for t e adtions ofthe been formed this opening is closed by a plate 31 and the front wall3 is secured in posltion. I claim herein as my invention: 1. A junctionbox consisting of a bod permission of a cab e, a portion provided. witha trough having openings in its end walls, and a portion having openends intermediate of the body and trough portions.

2. A unction box consisting of a series of units, each unitconsisting'of a body portion having openings in .its lower end, an openupper portions continuous through the series in combination withbus-bars extending through such continuous passage and supports for thebus bars.

3. A junction box consisting of a series of units, each unit consistingof a bpdy portion having openings at one end and an open ended portionat the opposite end of the body, said units being so arranged that apassage is formed by the open ended porseveral units continuous throughthe series in combination with busbars extending through such passage,insulated supports for the bus-bars, caps for closing the ends of thecontinuous passage, and bolts extending through the passage, and nutsfor binding the units together and holding the caps in position.

4. A junction box consisting of a series of units, each unit consistingof a body portion having openings in its lower end, and an open endedportion above such body, said units being so arranged that a passage isformed by the upper portions continuous through the series, one of theunits having an extension provided with a trough having openings in itsend walls, in combination with bus-bars extending through the passage,an insulating support for the bus-bars, and means for holding the unitsin operative relation to each other.

5. A junction box having a portion for the reception of bus-bars, and atrough shaped portion connected to the other portion and aving openingsat its ends for the insertion of the ends of cables, in combination withmeans for supporting the bus-bars, and means for connecting theconductors of the cables to the bus-bars.

6. A junction box having a portion for the reception of bus-bars, meansfor supporting said bars in said portion, sleeves adapted to beconnected to a cable, and means for ad.- justing the sleeves relative tothe bus-bars.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

CHARLES W. DAVIS. Witnesses:

CHARLES BARNETT, FRANCIS J. TOMASSON.

end portion above the body, said units being so arranged that a passageis formed by the

